ROAD TRANSPORTATION

In this lesson, you will learn:

Trace road transport evolution from animal-based methods to modern infrastructure

Identify road transport benefits: low cost, flexibility and short-distance suitability
Assess road transport's role in supply chains for cargo and delivery efficiency
Recognize road transport limitations: weather impact, accidents and inefficiency for long
distances

Brief History of Road Transport

The earlier methods of road transport were using animals or humans to carry goods, over dirt tracks.
The Persians built a network known as Royal Roads across their empire. Roman armies needed to
travel quickly from one region to another. The roads that existed were Kacha muddy roads, which
greatly delayed transport. To resolve this issue, the Romans built solid and lasting roads. The Roman
roads built deep roadbeds out of crushed stone which served as an underlying layer to ensure that
they kept dry, as the water would flow out from the crushed stone, instead of becoming mud in clay
soils. As nations developed, especially with the Renaissance, new roads and bridges began to be built,
often based on Roman designs. There was little innovation in road building before the 18th century.
The modern tarmac was patented by a British civil engineer named Edgar Purnell Hooley, who noticed
that spilled tar on the roadway kept the dust down and created a smooth surface.

In the supply chain system, road transport is the most preferred and popular mode used by suppliers
and businesses. Transport companies adhere to scheduled delivery days and even next-day delivery
services, utilizing a well-networked road system. All kinds of cargo are carried to and from via road in
some links of the supply chain

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Advantages of Road Transportation

Comparatively Low Capital Investment

Compared to other modes of transportation like railway, air, etc., road transport needs lower capital
investment. The manufacturing cost and maintenance cost is also cheaper for road transport.

Door-to-Door Service

The door-to-door is the greatest advantage of road transport that gives from sources to target, barn
to barn, and doorstep services. No other mode can provide this, efficiently. This reduces transport,
loading and unloading expenses, and other associated feeder transport costs.

Service in Rural Areas

Road transport is flexible and eclipses in distant areas that are unreachable by rail, air, or water. Road
transport is suited to carrying goods and people to and from the backcountry which isn't served by
rail, air, or water transport. Cargo transport from a large town to a small rural village is possible
through road transport.

Flexible Service

In road transport, routes and timings will be altered and switched to suit individual fundamentals with
calm. This offers road transport an excellent edge, over all other ways of transport that follow
adamant and conservative time and route plans.

Suitable for a Short Distance

Road transport is the only transport that's usable, economically, and for brief distances. It is cost-
effective and quicker to cart goods and people over short distances by road. Delays in transit of
goods, due to intermediate loading, and handling can be avoided as goods can be loaded directly into
a road vehicle and transported straight to their place of destination. Transitionally intermediate
handling costs and feeder connectivity costs may be eliminated.

Lesser Risk of Injury in Transit

The risk of harm to goods is greatly reduced because of the elimination of intermediate loading and
handling of products. Road transport is most fitted to transporting fragile goods like chinaware and
glassware, which risk getting damaged or broken easily during the method of loading and unloading.
One-time loading and unloading is the format for breakable goods. And road transport is the perfect
transport for this.

Saving in Packing Costs

The process of packing in road transport is slightly complicated, but far less elaborate than in other
modes of transport. Cargo transported by road transport does not require to be over-packed, as there
is no intermediate handling. This means that less to no major packing is required, which results in
lower packing costs.

Rapid Speed

Road transport is most suited to speed delivery, but water transport is extremely slow. Air and rail

© 2024 Athena Global Education. All Rights Reserved

transport requires an excessive amount of documentation formalities and packaging. Booking the
products and taking delivery of the products, just in the case of railway, air, and water transport, take
up an excessive amount of time and are extremely monotonous. In contrast, road transport offers a
quicker and far more flexible and difficulty-free option.

Less Cost

Road transport is more cost-effective than other modes of transport because it requires less initial
capital investment and has lower operating and maintenance costs. The rates charged by motor
transport companies may be a little higher than those charged by the railways, but the overall cost of
transporting goods by road is much lower due to savings on packaging costs, intermediate handling
charges, and feeder affinity charges.

Private Owned Vehicles

A major advantage of road transport is that it allows business houses and corporations to possess
their own automobiles and initiate their own road services to promote their company products,
without much cost of maintenance or the headache of tedious formalities. Hence companies can have
their own transport system running, without encountering any delays, within their own space and
time frame. This ensures high flexibility and is one of the main advantages of the road transport
system.

Feeder to Other Modes of Transport

No mode of transport apart from road transport offers doorstep services. Hence, whether the cargo is
transported via air, rail, or water, the movement of products begins and ultimately ends by road
transport, which picks up cargo from the source and delivers the products to the ultimate destination.
Road and motor transport are the feeder connectivity transport to all or any other modes of transport
like railways, ships, and airways.

Disadvantages of Road Transportation

Liable to Season and Weather Impacts: Road transport infrastructure and travel are
susceptible to weather changes and seasons. As an example, during rains or floods, roads
become unfit and unsafe to be used. Hence, motor transport proves to be less reliable than rail
transport, in the event of volatile weather situations.
Accidents and Breakdowns: There are high chances of accidents and breakdowns in road
transport and it is not a safe option compared to rail transport.
Not the Most Effective Option for Long Distance and Heavy Cargo: Road transport isn't
very suitable for transporting low-priced and heavy cargo over long distances because it proves
to be expensive.
Slow Speed: It is understood that road transport isn't as fast as air or rail transport. Hence, the
slow speed of road transport could be a disadvantage and a deterrent when it comes to long-
distance travel.
Lack of Organization and Structure: As an industry, road transport could be much less
organized or structured than its counterpart transport industries, air, rail, and water, which are
far more organized and structured. Often, road transport is irregular and undependable. The
rates charged for transportation also are random, unstable, and unequal. This lack of
organization and randomness is thanks to the multiple players and options prevalent within the
road transport industry.

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